Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Never have, never will.

"Morning," I murmured as I entered the kitchen, barely managing to repress a yawn.

"Good morning," Genkai answered.

"Hn." My head snapped up to find Hiei seated across from Genkai at the kitchen table, watching me, a faint smirk gracing his features. He was dressed in his normal black pants and a crimson muscle shirt, which gave me a very nice view of his arms. I raised an eyebrow at him. Normally, I didn't see him until the end of a run

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, taking a second to admire his biceps.

He stood up from his seat, his smirk broadening. "I'm going to run with you."

"What?" I frowned at him. "Hiei, compared to you I run like a snail. You aren't going to have any fun running with me."

"Hn, I will be fine, Shyle. I assure you."

Deciding to let the argument drop, I waved once at Genkai and turned, heading toward the front door. I pulled my sneakers on quickly and tied them, glancing up at Hiei, who was already wearing his boots. "So what made you decide to run with me all of a sudden?"

He shrugged. "Why should I have to wait to be with you?" I felt myself smile goofily and I glanced away, ducking my head so he couldn't see my blush. That may have been the sweetest thing he had ever said to me. He wanted to go on my run just to spend time with me? How more adorable could he get?

Standing up, I smiled at him. "I won't argue with that," I said, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to his lips. I pulled back before he even had a chance to react and opened the door. Hiei followed me, closing the door behind him. I glanced at him once last time before jumping the stairs and starting off at an easy jog. He fell into step beside me, allowing me to set the pace.

We ran in silence and it wasn't long before I forgot Hiei was even running at my side. Running consumed all my thoughts and everything else faded into the background. I stopped at our usual spot and turned to face Hiei. He wasn't out of breath and I realized that the run probably hadn't even been a workout for him.

Looking at him, I suddenly realized that this was the first morning that I had run since we'd gotten together. I frowned slightly, unsure of what was about to happen. Were we still going to ask one another questions or was that over now that our relationship had changed. "Are we still playing that question game?" I asked, hesitantly.

"I don't see why we shouldn't," Hiei stated calmly. He glanced up at the tree branch where he normally sat and then back at me. I didn't even see him move, but one second my feet were on the ground and the next they weren't. With me securely in his arms, Hiei jumped into the tree, landing on the branch he had been eyeing. It took him only a second to settle into a sitting position, shifting me so that I was seated in his lap.

I let out the breath I'd been holding and whacked him solidly in the arm. "Don't do that!" I snapped. "You scared the crap out of me." I glanced at the ground below us and swallowed hard. I leaned back into him, pressing my back against his chest.

Hiei seemed to pick up on my nerves. "Are you scared of heights?" he asked, barely containing his laughter.

"Shut up! It's not funny." Despite my words, Hiei's chest vibrated with his laughter. The branch swayed as his body shook with mirth and I grabbed at the fabric of his pants frantically. "Knock it off," I begged.

Still chuckling, Hiei grabbed my hips. "Let go of my pants," he instructed.

"What? No!"

"Shyle, let go. I am going to turn you around."

"You swear you won't drop me?"

"I swear," Hiei promised. Squeezing my eyes shut, I unclenched my hands and waited. Hiei turned me around in one smooth move, positioning me so that I was facing him, a leg on either side of his waist. He wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me firmly in place. I leaned forward, pressing my face into the crook of his neck, and took a deep breath. "You're scared of heights," Hiei muttered, more to himself than to me. He still sounded amused and I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

"I really don't see why you find this funny."

"I was unprepared for your fear," he said. He paused for a few seconds, considering something, before continuing. "For that matter, I think this may be the first time I've seen you afraid."

I shook my head and leaned back slightly so that I could look him in the eye. "No, that's not true. I was scared shitless after Mecca attacked me." Hiei flinched and I realized that he must still be upset about what he had done to me. "Hiei, I told you not to worry about hurting me. It was an accident, okay? Please let it go."

"You don't understand, do you?" he asked, his eyes slightly accusing. "I am stronger than you. If I let my emotions get the better of me, I could seriously hurt you."

I shrugged. "Why don't we worry about that when it happens? You'll probably never slip up again." Considering how upset he was over this, I doubted he would ever forget to be careful again.

"Hn."

I rolled my eyes, but accepted his answer. "So, um, whose turn was it to ask questions?"

"Yours, I believe."

Smiling, I lay my head against his chest and trailed a finger along his arm, tracing the muscles. I racked my brain for a question, trying to think of something worth asking. "Will you at least give a hint of where we're going tonight? I need to know how to dress."

"It's in the city. You will need to dress nicely."

Grinning slightly, I decided to tease him. "Is there anything in particular you want me to wear?"

I could tell he wasn't amused. "You are perfectly capable of dressing yourself."

"Yeah, but I want to wear something you'll like," I said, no longer teasing. I truly did want to dress in a way that he would like. I always thought he looked sexy as all hell and I wanted him to feel the same way about me. Praying he wouldn't laugh at me, I asked, "Could you come to my room and pick something out? That way I would know for sure that it was appropriate."

He sighed, but consented. "If it's so important to you, then yes, I will help you." Glad that he had agreed, I pressed a quick kiss to the exposed skin of his shoulder and giggled when he growled slightly.

"Did you like that?" I asked, teasing him once more.

"Hn." Not liking his answer, I pressed another kiss to his skin, this time on his collarbone. "We are in a tree twenty feet off the ground and you fear heights. I suggest you stop before you get yourself in over your head."

"Okay, okay. No need to threaten me," I said, leaning back to look him in the eyes. "So, my next question… If we're going into the city, are we going to come back here or stay in the city?"

"I was thinking we could stay in your apartment."

"Sure," I said. "Your turn, firefly."

"Will you wear your hair down tonight?"

"What?"

"If I get to pick your outfit, it makes sense that I get to pick your hairstyle," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Um, sure, if you want me to. Do you want me to wear it straight or curly?"

"Surprise me."

"Yusuke Urameshi, if you don't open this door right now, I will kick it down," I threatened, pounding on the bathroom door. I was dressed in the black skirt and indigo top that Hiei had picked out and my hair was piled up in a wet bun, waiting to be dried and straightened. "Damn it, Yusuke! Open the door!"

"Jeeze, who pissed you off?" he asked, opening the door.

"You did, asshole," I snapped, shoving past him into the room and taking my hair out of its elastic. I plugged in my blow-dryer and flatiron, balancing it on the edge of the bathtub. "You take longer in the bathroom than most girls I know," I muttered, flipping my head upside down and beginning to dry my hair.

He grumbled something that I couldn't understand over the noise of the blow-dryer and kicked the door shut. It appeared that he had just gotten out of the shower. His hair was still wet and he was clad only in a pair of jeans. We both worked in silence, each trying to get our hair to behave. I was finished drying my hair before he had finished gelling his into submission.

He shot me an annoyed look. "You're going to try to take over some sink space, aren't you?"

"Yup. I need to see the mirror." I unplugged my blow-dryer and placed it on the back of the toilet. Grabbing my flatiron, I set to work straightening my hair. "If it takes so much work, why bother with the gel?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, gesturing toward my flatiron.

"Hiei's never seen me with straight hair. I want to see if he likes it."

Yusuke groaned. "Is having a boyfriend going to make you all girly?"

"Oh, shut up," I snapped, laughing at him.

He rolled his eyes at me. "It's a valid concern." Flipping shut the cover to his tube of hair gel, he place it on the counter and turned on the sink, starting to wash his hands. He turned the water off and, turning to me, flicked the water off his hands at me.

"Yusuke!" I screeched. "If you get my hair wet, it'll curl, you ass." I threatened him with my flatiron and kicked him in the shin while he was distracted.

"Shit! Shy, that hurt," he whined.

"Shut up and get out," I barked, shoving him toward the door with my free hand. He shot me a dirty look, but moved toward the door. He opened it and prepared to leave the room, but froze on the spot, staring at the crowd of onlookers that had gathered in the hallway.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Kuwabara asked, peering into the room. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt, Urameshi?"

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," Keiko added. Kurama nodded from his spot behind Keiko.

"Iraheta was admiring my abs," Yusuke answered cockily.

"Get out," I snapped, kicking Yusuke in the lower calf. He yelped in surprise and darted out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. "Idiot," I muttered.

"Hiei, I'm telling you, I can drive. We don't have to get a taxi."

The fire demon ignored me and continued to try and hail a cab. A taxi finally stopped beside us and he stepped forward, opening the door. Leaning inside he said something to the driver and then stepped back, allowing me to slide inside. He followed me in and pulled the door shut behind him.

When the driver pulled out into traffic without asking where we were going, I realized that Hiei had told him our destination when he had leaned inside the cab. "You're really going out of your way to keep this a secret, huh?"

"Hn."

I giggled and leaned against him, resting my head on his shoulder. I'd sat in the middle seat rather than sliding all the way over. It was strange to think that sitting beside him had made me uncomfortable not too long ago. "So you're not even going to give me a hint?"

"No, I'm not. We will be there in a few minutes. You can wait until then." He paused and, as an afterthought, added, "Don't get overly excited. It's nothing spectacular."

I didn't answer, opting to instead study the places we were pacing. I felt like I should have recognized where we were, like I'd been there recently, but for the life of me I couldn't place it. Groaning in frustration, I tugged on a lock of my hair. Hiei reached up and pulled my hand away. "Don't," he chided.

Sitting up, I glanced at him. "I meant to ask you. Do you like my hair straight?"

He studied me, his hand reaching up to brush a lock back behind my ear. "Yes, very much so."

I bit my lip and looked away, feeling a blush spread across my cheeks. "Well, um, don't get used to it. Straightening my hair takes forever."

He smirked. "I like your hair curly as well."

"Good," I muttered. "Because that's how it's going to be most of the time."

The car ride passed quickly thanks to the idle chitchat that we maintained, but I was eager to get where ever it was that we were going. And not just because I wanted to figure out where it was Hiei was taking me. He had promised to explain about his past and I had every intention of holding him to that promise. Plus, I had a hundred other questions I wanted to ask him. Some were simple, others weren't, but I wanted answers to all of them.

It wasn't until the car pulled into the restaurant's parking lot that I realized where Hiei was taking me. The car parked and Hiei climbed out. I followed him, unable to stop a fit of giggles from taking over me. We were at the same restaurant we had come to with the others the night we all stayed in my apartment.

Hiei paid the taxi driver and I raised an eyebrow. I hadn't known that he knew how to use human money. He turned toward the restaurant and, wrapping an arm around my waist, started for the front doors.

Still giggling, I asked, "Did you bring me here to show Daisuke that I'm dating you now?" I remembered all the growling Hiei had done last time we were here and I broke into a fresh set of giggles.

"I brought you here because I knew you liked the food. Showing that human that you're mine is simply a benefit."

I had my giggles under control by the time that we stepped up to the maitre'd station. "How many?" she asked.

"Reservations for two," Hiei answered.

"Name, please," she requested, her pen poised over a list of names.

"Jaganshi."

Her pen darted down, crossing out the name on the list. She picked up to menus and smiled at us. "Right this way." We followed her through the restaurant to a quiet corner in the back. She placed the menus on the table and waited for us to take our seats. "Your waiter will be with you in a moment. Have a nice night."

"Thanks," I said as she turned and walked back the way we had come. Turning my gaze to Hiei, I said, "You do know that Daisuke may not be our waiter."

"Hn," Hiei answered, picking up his menu and beginning to scan it. Fighting off another round of giggles, I followed his lead and opened my own menu. We remained in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while we each tried to decide on a meal.

I saw our waiter coming out of the corner of my eye and I grinned. Kicking Hiei under the table, I nodded my head toward our waiter. Hiei looked up and smirked confidently.

Daisuke stopped at our table and smiled politely. If he recognized us, he didn't say anything. "Good evening. My name is Daisuke and I'll be your server tonight. What would you like to drink?"

"Water," Hiei said curtly, staring Daisuke down threateningly.

Trying not to laugh at Hiei's behavior, I said, "I'll have a Sprite, please."

"Sure thing," he answered, quickly writing down our requests on a small pad of paper. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." Inclining his head in a polite nod, he turned and made his way toward the kitchen.

Grinning at Hiei, I put my menu down and waited for him to decide what he wanted. He glanced at me and, seeing that I had already decided on something, closed his menu and placed it on table. "I don't even think he remembers us, Hiei," I told him.

"He does," Hiei replied, smirking at my skeptic look.

"Oh, really? What makes you so confident?"

He tapped the white strip of cloth that covered his Jagan. "I checked."

I couldn't stop my burst of laughter. "Hiei, you read his mind?" I whispered disbelievingly.

"Hn."

I waited until we had given Daisuke our orders to start asking Hiei my questions. Shifting in my seat, I leaned forward and met Hiei's gaze. "Alright, you promised to tell me about your past, remember?"

"Would you like the whole story?" he asked, taking a sip of his water.

"Yes, please."

He nodded and began to explain, starting with his birth and how it made him an outcast. He spoke about being thrown from the floating island of the ice apparitions and his time spent with the bandits. He touched only briefly on how he acquired the Jagan and then explained that he had used the third eye to find his mother's people. His eyes grew angry when he told me about his encounter with his mother's best friend, but they softened when he spoke of Yukina and his search to find her. He concluded with how he met Kurama and stole three artifacts from the Reikai, which was how he first encountered Yusuke.

His story took longer than I had expected and by the time he had finished we were nearly done with our meals. When he fell silent, I took my time to consider what he had said. I wanted to make sure he understood that nothing in his past bothered me. It didn't matter that he was once a thief or that he had killed others.

Smiling at him reassuringly, I reached across the table and laid my hand over his. "Hiei," I waited until he met my gaze before continuing. "Thank you for telling me everything. It means a lot that you can trust me with your past."

He watched me in silence for a few long moments before nodding his head. "None of it upsets you."

I shook my head. "Hiei, you did what your life demanded of you. It would be stupid of me to dislike you for what you had to do to survive. On the other hand, I think it was good of you not to kill the ice apparitions. You deserved revenge and you didn't take it, which speaks wonders for your character."

He scowled at me. "Don't make me sound like a hero," he growled.

"Did I strike a nerve?" I asked, allowing myself a mischievous grin.

"Hn." He returned his attention to his food.

I let him eat in silence for a few seconds before asking my next question. "Hiei, what is it about me that you like?"

"What do you mean?"

"What is it about me that drew your attention, that made you think you would want to spend the rest of your life with me?" I expanded on my previous question.

"You didn't cry when Mecca attacked you."

His answer was so matter-of-fact that I barely realized he'd given one. "Really?"

"Yes," he answered. "Most girls I've ever known were skittish and emotional. You were not." He paused for a long time. "I realized that you could be worth pursuing when you asked me not to read your mind. It was a brave thing to ask, especially considering how little you knew about me." He shrugged and met my gaze. "After that, it was your question game that convinced me."

"Oh," I said, surprised at how long his answer was. "So, are we having dessert?" I asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

He chuckled and answered, "If you want dessert, then yes, we are."

"Good to hear."

I fiddled with my key, trying to get it into the lock. "Damn it," I muttered. The light nearest my apartment door was out and I couldn't see anything. I jumped when Hiei's hand closed over mine and guided it to the lock. "Thanks," I murmured as the key slid in and the door unlocked.

"Hn, my eyesight is better than yours in the dark."

"No need to brag." I slipped inside my apartment and flicked on the light, kicking off my shoes. Moving into the living room, I came to a sudden stop. Did Hiei plan to sleep in my bed?

Last time we had been here we had shared the air mattress, but sharing a bed this time would be different. We hadn't been dating the first time and if we shared a bed now, it would be a major step in our relationship. A step I wasn't sure I was read for.

"Um, Hiei?" I couldn't believe I was going to ask him this.

"Yes," he answered. He had closed the door and was in the process of removing his boots.

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"The couch," he said immediately. Glancing up at me, he seemed to realize what I had been thinking. He approached me and turned me around, pulling me to him. "I told you I was going to do this right. I won't share your bed until you are comfortable with the idea."

I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed against him. "So, you'll wait until I ask you to sleep in my bed?"

"Yes. The only reason I am staying in your apartment at all is for your safety."

Content that he was willing to wait, I stood on tiptoe and kissed him. I pulled away a few seconds later and turned to look at the couch. "Do you want to pull it out?"

"No, it is fine as it is."

"Alright, but I'll still need to get you a blanket and pillow." I started toward my bedroom only to stop once more. "You don't have anything to sleep in, do you?" I asked with a frown.

"I will sleep in my boxers."

My cheeks flushed red and I was glad I wasn't facing him. "Okay, that works. Um, you'll need a toothbrush, right?"

"Hn."

"There are some new ones in the bathroom closet. Feel free to help yourself."

Twenty minutes later, we both stood in my bedroom doorway. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he kissed me softly. "I enjoyed our first date," I murmured against his lips.

"As did I."

I giggled. "Where are you taking me next?"

"You may choose," he muttered, pressing my back into the doorframe. His next kiss left me breathless and blushing. He pulled away from me and stepped back. "Goodnight, Shyle."

"Goodnight, firefly."

AN: The ending was awful similar to last chapter, huh? I didn't mean for that to happen, it just did.

I've decided that uber long chapters are annoying. I'm reading a Tamora Pierce fanfiction that had a 30,000 word chapter. That's freaking ridiculous. It's over a third of this story. This is my longest chapter so far and it's just over 4,000 words.

I'm going to be visiting Columbia University on Thursday and Friday, so I probably won't be able to update until Friday or Saturday. Sorry.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed. Last chapter was my most reviewed chapter yet (thirteen reviews), which is exciting. Tell me what you thought of their date. Did the location surprise you or were you expecting it?